Our mid-November spell of record hot and humid weather was broken with passage of a cold front. This beautiful sunrise presaged a violent thunderstorm that dumped lots of rain, followed by cold nights (by Florida standards) that dipped into the low 50s.

The next day, three Wood Storks appeared on our back lawn, the first we have seen in several months. Two were quite young, judging by their still-feathered heads and dusky plumage (click on all photos for additional views):

A morning walk on our local patch of recovering Everglades yielded good views of other long-legged waders, including this Tricolored Heron:

A Great Egret’s image was reflected on calm waters:

A trio of immature White Ibises posed at the edge of our lake:

A Double-crested Cormorant wheeled above and gave me a chance to practice flight shots:

Prairie Warblers are becoming quite numerous:

Most of our wintering Palm Warblers are the dull “Western” race, like this friendly one that perched on a chair at a beach-side cafe:

However, this Palm Warbler, caught as it landed on the railing of the boardwalk at nearby West Pines Soccer Park and Nature Preserve, had the bright chestnut cap and yellow breast of the “Eastern” form of this species:

Our local pair of Bald Eagles is rebuilding their nest and should be laying eggs by mid-December:

Near the eagle nest is a pasture, where Cattle Egrets (great food for the eagles) forage among the bovines:

This morning, I might have mistaken another white heron for an egret, but noted its bill had a dark tip, typical of an immature Little Blue Heron:

As the heron took off, I was too late with the shutter for a nice flight shot, but did document that its legs were dark greenish, unlike a Cattle Egret, and it did not have the “golden slippers” of a Snowy Egret:

A visit to John U Lloyd Park just happened to coincide with the arrival, in Port Everglades, of the world’s largest cruise ship. “The Oasis of the Seas,” set to make its maiden voyage on November 28th:

At the park, our little granddaughters, visiting from the north, were delighted to find this little Green Iguana, imbibing a Cocoplum fruit:

Our granddaughters and two older cousins take advantage of the photo-op: